


Stories Filled With Hope

by Romantic_at_Heart



Series: The Traumas' We Survive [3]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Angst, Daniel and Pierre are just done with it, Fluff, Happy Ending, Holidays, Jealousy, M/M, Max and Charles winding each other up, One Shot, Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:34:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27194491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romantic_at_Heart/pseuds/Romantic_at_Heart
Summary: One shots following on from Fight or Die but can be read individually. They will be some references but nothing major.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly/Charles Leclerc
Series: The Traumas' We Survive [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985203
Comments: 9
Kudos: 106





	1. Live or Drown

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again. I'm back!  
> Hope you enjoy these one shots.  
> I'll admit not they will be infrequently updated depending on when I have time and inspiration.

_The water danced around him, taunting him as it did so. He was falling deeper and deeper and couldn’t rise up. A metaphor for his life perhaps? The blood had stopped pouring from his nose and his right eye ached even when closed. This was not how today was meant to go. Far from it in fact._

* * *

He had woken up to gentle pressure on his neck. It took Max a second for his brain to catch up and realise that it was only Daniel placing small kisses on the said area. He smiled and moved his neck to expose more of it which the Australian chuckled at but complied anyway. The duvet moved and suddenly Max could feel his boyfriend holding himself up over his body, very close to straddling him.

‘Morning babe.’ He muttered sleep still present in his voice.

‘Morning cutie.’ Daniel muttered in between kisses that had now reached Max’s shoulder.

‘What ungodly hour have you woken me up at exactly?’

‘Not sure…didn’t look…busy so shush…’

Max just laughed in response, something he had been doing a lot of since August when he got together with Daniel. It was weird how synchronised they had become and how easily they fell into a routine which one another. Of course, Daniel had been living with him a month prior but still. He loved waking up to kisses being placed on all his body or the smell of freshly made coffee. He loved waking up with a warm body next to him. He loved cuddling up on the sofa during the cold months which _always_ led to sex.

‘Why do hotel rooms make you so horny?’ Max asked as Daniel placed both his hands on Max’s waist and started sucking at his neck.

‘It’s not the room, it’s you. You make me horny.’ He said while he attacked Max’s neck, ‘I’m gonna leave such a big mark that the media will be so distracted by they won’t even ask about your mental health anymore.’

Max sighed but smiled gently, ‘Please don’t. The other drivers will have a field day.’

‘Gotta mark you as mine Maxy. Gotta mark my territory.’

A small laugh escaped his lips as Daniel came up to face and him a gentle pressed his lips onto the Dutchman’s. Max moaned in response egging Daniel on even further. The two were content in their own little world until a knock at the door broke it. Sometimes being an F1 driver could be really annoying!

‘Later.’ Daniel promised pushing himself off Max, grabbing a t-shirt and answering the door. Max smiled back with a new excitement for what the evening would bring.

The sex was amazing. Max has never felt more passion for another person before. He felt as if he was being treated like royalty. He had to admit, Daniel knew how to satisfy a man. It didn’t help that the pair of them were still hormonal messes. Max was young so it was to be expected of him but Daniel...he wasn’t as bad but he could definitely give people his own age a run for his money. They weren't bad... they weren’t doing it everywhere (their apartment not included in that) but there was that very awkward time in Daniels drivers room where Michael burst in, yelped, followed by Zac, who was concerned. Both were confronted by an almost naked Max and a semi-naked Daniel, the former pushed up against a wall. So yeah... they just needed to be a bit more careful hence why a hotel room would be the perfect place for post-race sex.

The Dutchman looked up at the ceiling before deciding to get out of bed himself.

* * *

The build-up to the race never made Max anxious until last year. It was the time that the media swarmed all around them, trying to get the latest gossip, make their podium predictions- that kind of thing. During his depressive stage, the media had come to him like a swarm of wasps around a picnic. Of course, this year that had let up and didn't focus on Max as much as they did in 2021. Most of the question were structured around the new engine and how well it was working for him. He'd managed to get a few podiums so he wasn't doing too badly, and Alex was quite near him points-wise as well.

He hadn't fallen that much into a pit of despair ever since his heart to heart with Daniel and standing up this father which the former later commented was in fact ‘hot as hell’. Max just laughed him off and denied that there was anything ‘hot’ about him. There were a few shaky times when the Dutchman had some self-doubts his talent and his career but Daniel was very quick to reassure him that wasn’t the case. A few hours later, he would receive texts from Lando or Charles saying cringey stuff like they couldn’t wait to race with him this weekend. The Australian was still texting their friends for back-up. Max wasn’t annoyed. It was better than being babysat.

The only time he felt truly at peace wasn’t until he was on the grid and the lights were out. He managed to maintain his P3 from qualifying for the first 5 laps. Stroll was 9 seconds behind him so he wasn’t a threat and Bottas was 13 seconds in front already. Max rolled his eyes annoyed, guess it would be just another boring race.

Lap 6 was when it started going downhill. Max wasn’t sure what had happened but he didn’t have the pace he knew he could get. Stroll was gaining on him. Something was wrong. He drove into turn 8, one wheel on the apex. The Red Bull driver felt something go. He spun around on the gravel and crashed into the barriers. He was ok but slightly shaken. He heard GP ask if he was ok and he responded that he was fine.

Jumping out the car, Max very quickly took note of the smoke pouring out of the engine. Tyre and engine problems- just his weekend. He would have to talk to the engineers. Mechanical issues like this shouldn’t be happening anymore. Christian had ‘sorted it’. The Dutchman snorted, evidently, he hadn’t.

The Red bull driver opted to walk back to the pit lane. Hopefully, Christian would be busy with Alex that he wouldn’t want to talk to him right now and save it for the debrief later. His fireproofs were already half off as he reached the quietness of his driver room and he slammed the door shut. The Dutchman kept muttering how it was the car that failed him not his driving skills.

A few minutes later, Max found himself standing in the middle of the room. He took a deep breath and looked around sadly. Everything was crashing down on him again and he felt trapped and claustrophobic. He knew his DNF wasn’t his fault but no matter what he still failed himself and the team. Max looked at his discarded fireproofs he had thrown on the sofa and bit his lip. Making a rash decision, the Red Bull driver turned around and left his room. He was halfway through the paddock towards the exit when he realised he didn't have any personal possessions on him but he didn't want to go back. He needed to clear his head and calm down before he did something stupid, not that it was likely but he didn’t want to cause anyone unnecessary worry.

Running off probably wasn't his greatest move nor turning off his phone. If he was honest, it was all very unnecessary and overdramatic on his behalf but he needed to calm down. He needed to escape the outside world for a while. He was no longer a threat to himself and hadn't been for a while. Also, he used to do this all the time after a DNF, it wasn't unusual to find Max at the nearest bar drinking his sorrows away. The difference was now that Max had a history of bad mental health behind him and that he had been advised not to drink alcohol when down due to the depressing factor in it.

Instead, he decided to go and find a nice quiet area with a calm view. It always helped back home when he needed to cool off. When everything got too much. He remembered the first time he did it and rather like this one, didn't tell anyone where he was. Daniel had gone into a complete breakdown during the two hours Max had decided to walk around Monaco. The Dutchman was very surprised to find Pierre back at his flat that evening, giving a sigh of relief and hugging Max as he called him an idiot.

He remembered how his boyfriend had returned a mere five minutes later, eyes rimmed red, crashing through the door and slamming his body into Max’s. He looked over Daniel’s shoulder to see Charles standing in the doorway also looking relieved. It had turned out once the Australian had realised Max had gone, he’d called their nearest friends to help find him with Pierre opting to stay in the apartment in case he returned.

Max wanted to ask why Daniel was so worried that day. Yes, it had not been long since the whole suicide attempt episode, but it had been a few weeks after their talk on the balcony. The Dutchman had nothing to hide. He never asked instead just took note to answer check his phone when he went out walking or to tell someone where he was going.

He hoped Daniel hadn’t crashed out his race currently and was in a panic trying to find him now. If the Australian saw him now in front of the water. Somehow he had made his way over to the harbour. Max knew that a small part of him would be terrified that he would throw himself into the water. He was over all those suicidal thoughts. He wanted to live. He loved his life.

He took a deep breath standing by the railings. He let the sea-salted air enter his nostrils and exit his body, calming him down. He'll return back to the circuit in a moment or so. He was still mega pissed with Pirelli and the pit crew for not spotting the problem beforehand. He reopened his eyes and took a step back, still feeling annoyed but now it was nothing that a quick snack and some quiet back in his driver room couldn’t handle.

Max turned around a froze. Déjà vu hit him hard and suddenly he was back in his apartment opening his front door after confessing his love to Daniel back in August. A familiar pair of icy blue eyes stared back at him angrily. The Dutchman gulped slightly and before he could run, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him towards him, so he was merely inches away from the other body.

‘What are you doing here?’ Max managed to say someone finding the bravery to do so, ‘I thought I made myself clear back in August.’

‘You’ve lost your touch. DNF after lap 6. How pathetic.’

The old Max would have explained how it was him but his car or this case his tyres that had failed him. The new Max didn't need to cower to his father's angry glare. He was above that. He didn't need to gain his fathers' approval anymore.

‘What’s it to you? I said I don’t need you anymore.’

‘Ah yes. You have that boyfriend, now right? Now, where is he?’ Jos deliberately looked around the harbour in an exaggerated way to make a point, ‘Oh wait. He hasn’t fucked up his race yet.’

‘Whatever.' Max said as he shook off his father's hand which had made his way to his shoulder, ‘You’ve made your point. I don’t know how you find me or what you’re even doing here since I stopped your privileges, but you can leave.’

‘I told you before and I’ll happily tell you again, I’ve sacrificed too much for you to make stupid little mistakes.’

‘I never asked you too! Now leave.’

He felt pain through his stomach causing him to cower down until a kick to the skins caused him to lose his balance completely. However, Jos never gave up that easily. Max bent over again as he felt repeated hits impacting on his stomach and then face and Max swore he was close to coughing up blood. Soon he was crouching on the floor, arm wrapped around his stomach. He looked up at the anger in his fathers' eyes which had doubled in the last few seconds.

'After all, I've done for you.'

He thought his father would leave it there, that he had made his point but it wasn't over. Shakily he stood up and took a deep breath. At that moment, he felt himself going backwards and landing with a big splash. His father had pushed him into the harbour and jumped in after.

He barely made it to the surface before another punch hit his stomach harshly causing him to curl up and fall back under the water. Breathing was becoming an issue for the young Dutchman. He was barely staying afloat his body was aching too much. His dad grabbed his shoulders and pushed him under holding him there. His body was lashing out, fitting as it were against the pressure of the water. Every instinct was telling him to go up and breathe but he couldn't.

He felt a pressure building up on top of his shoulders before he was pushed down even further, air escaping and water entering his body as he fell deeper in the water. He didn't know where his dad had gone but he could see ripples head towards back to harbour indicating that he was making his way out of the water.

Max’s body was frozen. He couldn’t move. He falling slowly towards the seabed. Was it a seabed? He couldn’t think clearly anymore. His open eye was shutting, and his lungs felt as if they were about to explode. He didn’t have the energy to swim up to the shore.

He didn’t want to die.

Not again.

He didn’t want to die.

He shut his eyes.

* * *

Kimi wasn't the youngest driver. In fact, he was far from it. He was the oldest but that doesn't mean to say that he was the most unfit. He needed to keep in shape just like every other F1 driver did. So when he was walking down to the harbour to climb onto his yacht; when he was walking down to the harbour and saw a rather look wet Jos Verstappen storm past him leaving a trail of water droplets on the ground. The Alfa Romeo driver stared at the former F1 driver confused before gazing towards the harbour in the distance.

It took him a minute or so to reach the edge of the water. Nothing looked unusual but there was something in his gut, a feeling of sorts that something wasn't right. He knew that Max had retired from the race also but no one had seen him around the paddock so everyone assumed he was in his driver's room…unless….

Jos Verstappen wasn’t the kind of man just to go randomly swimming in the harbour and Max did normally like to cool off after retirements. What if the two ‘bumped’ into each other? No one else was around so Kimi quickly stripped off his jacket and jumped into the water below. His gut better be right about this.

He dived a scarily long way down into the water. The Alfa Romeo driver felt his eyes become blocked with it. He had no idea where to start looking and did a silent pray that Max hadn’t been swept out too far in the time it took Kimi to arrive at the harbour. The world champion also had another hardship as he tried to keep his eyes open despite them stinging so he could rescue the young driver.

The water was slightly murky, and he found it difficult to see. He kept having to shut his eyes every few seconds to prevent them from stinging as well. He may have only been swimming a few seconds but every second that passed was a second the Dutchman was drowning. The Fin suddenly caught sight of dark blonde hair a few metres away from him and swam towards it. The Red Bull driver was drifting in the water unconscious sinking slowly to the bottom. Kimi couldn't help but notice the black eye, extremely red nose and cut lip on the driver. He lifted Max up from under his armpits and headed as quickly as he could to the surface.

He wasn’t sure what to do first; call an ambulance or attempt CPR on Max. He noticed some people walk past and quickly caught their attention. See in the wet, unconscious man on the ground indicated that they should call an ambulance which they thankfully did so.

Kimi knelt down quickly and started to compress on the dutchman’s chest. He tried not to think it was Max but instead that stupid dummy that the FIA bosses insisted that all the drivers try and attempt CPR on that one time during first aid lessons. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but right now he was thankful that the bosses forced him to take that first aid class.

Max still wasn’t responding and Kimi tried hard not to look at his pale face or skin. He tried mouth to mouth, hoping that some oxygen would make its way to Max’s lungs but the young driver still lay there soaking wet and unconscious.

‘Come on.’ He compressed harder and did his best to keep to the Rhythm, ‘Come on Max.’

He had no idea if he was doing any good or making the situation worse. The Finnish man took another deep breath of the air before doing mouth to mouth. Max needed oxygen and he needed it quickly. He also needed the water expelling from his lungs.

‘Come on. Think of your family, your career. Think of Daniel. Think of everybody who loves you. ’

He restarted compressions but Max still lay unconscious and unresponsive on the ground. He wasn’t going to give up though. He would never give up on a fellow driver. He would never give up on Max, not after everything he went through last year. He was reaching the end of this cycle of compressions when Max started coughing and water spluttered everywhere from his mouth. Kimi quickly turned him onto his side to make it easier before Max coughed up more liquid then fell back into his unconscious state.

Thank fuck for is own DNF.

* * *

The pneumonia was obvious. Kimi knew that just by looking at how blue Max’s lips were when he dragged him out of the harbour but that wasn’t his main priority at the time. The Dutchman was drowning, and he needed saving. An ambulance arrived a mere minute after Max spluttered up the water and instantly the paramedics had both of them covered up in thick blankets.

The Alfa Romeo driver looked at the Dutchman while in the ambulance, trying not to believe it had been twice within a year that he was being taken to hospital with injuries. He hated how much pain the Red Bull driver had been through and cursed himself how he failed to see it last year when Max needed everyone the most. He had been as shocked as everyone when he heard what had happened. Maybe today was his moment when he was there to help Max. Maybe his penance of ignoring the silent cry of the Dutchman last year had been served.

They soon arrived at the hospital and despite jumping into the water, Kimi luckily didn’t need medical attention. He let them cart Max off as he slumped into one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area. He should probably let someone know what’s happened…and ask for a change in clothes.

The race would have ended about half an hour ago providing there was no red flags and restarts. Kimi had text Seb, one of the few he trusted on the grid and Daniel, as it was his boyfriend in the hospital room so only made sense he should be informed. Neither of them had arrived yet and as harsh as it sounds, he doubted that either of them had podiums as poor Seb was P6 due to engine problems which required extra pits and Daniel was stuck in P10 behind Alex last time he checked. 

He had warmed up during his over an hour stay here but his clothes were still damp and very unpleasant to stay in any longer. He sighed wishing that he could have a few shots of vodka to pass the time though turning up drunk to Max’s bedside when the young driver woke up probably wasn’t the best idea he could have.

A loud crash broke the Finnish man’s train of thought and he looked to the side to see Daniel Ricciardo, wearing sponsored clothing, looking panicked as he entered the corridor. He caught Kimi’s eye and ran over to him still looking scared and shaken.

'Please tell me, he's ok. Please.' The Australian broke down into sobs, 'I can't lose him please.'

His former teammate Seb entered the corridor carrying a bag of what Kimi hoped were spare clothes. He stood up off the chair and gently placed a hand on the McLaren drivers shoulder.

‘He’s fine. His body temperature is almost at normal and he’s just sleeping everything off. He’s got a few bruised ribs from where I had to resuscitate him…’

‘You had to resuscitate him?’ The Aston Martin driver asked astonished as Daniel broke out into harsher sobs.

‘I don’t know what exactly happened, but Jos walk past wet then I found Max into the harbour. I don’t know if they fell in or what. I don't know what they were fighting about if they were fighting at all but yeah…Max wasn’t breathing when I got to him…’

Daniel wrapped his arms around the Alfa Romeo driver even if the latter didn't return the hug. How had he been so close to losing Max almost twice in one year! Didn't his boyfriend deserve a break?

‘You could probably go in and see him if you want.’

The Australian nodded and opened the hospital door slowly as if not to wake up Max, not that he would wake up anyway. He didn't want to look over at the bed, too terrified to see his unconscious boyfriend in a similar state to what he was in last year. When he did eventually, it was if Max was merely sleeping in their own bed. The McLaren driver tried not to gulp or sob as the Red Bull drivers bruised nose or cut lip. He sat down in the chair and held onto his lover's hand.

* * *

It was roughly 20 minutes later that Daniel heard a soft moan from the bed. He looked up instantly and immediately squeezed the hand in his. Max blinked a couple of times before shifting his gaze over to Daniel and smiling softly.

'Hey.' Daniel said stroking his boyfriend's hair with his other hand, ‘I’m going to have to tag you or something to stop you getting into trouble.’

‘I only wanted to cool off.’ Max replied squeezing his hand back, trying to reassure his boyfriend that he would be ok. I didn’t know that my dad was around.

‘I know. Still doesn’t stop me from becoming a mess. You’re going to turn me grey if you’re not careful.’

‘That’ll be hot.’

Daniel laughed as he stopped stroking Max’s hair but instead leant down to rest their foreheads against each other. He tried not to think too heavily about how much cooler the Red Bull drivers hand was compared to his, ‘I think Seb called the police about your dad. Kimi explained it all to us.’

The Dutchman nodded, ‘I thought he killed me. I didn’t even know he was here. He suddenly just turned up and then I was in the water. I couldn’t breathe.’

The words sounded so broken and Daniel shut his eyes.

‘I thought that I was actually going to die this time and that I would never see you again.’

They were both close to tears and Daniel leant up slightly and pressed a soft kiss against Max’s forehead.

‘He will never take you away from ok. I’m yours for however long you want me.’

‘I’ll always want you.’

They had both come so far since last year and the Australian was grateful for it. Max had opened up more and was communicating about his feelings and trying not to hide anything while Daniel was always open to listen and made sure even the tiniest doubt his boyfriend had was listened to and reassured.

‘I want a cuddle.’

Daniel laughed slightly but nonetheless clambered carefully up onto the bed and wrapped himself around Max the best he could. He felt the Dutchman lean into his chest, placing his head near his heartbeat. He always found it reassuring for some reason. If Daniel was brave and feeling cheesy, he would say that it was beating for Max and just Max. He owned Daniel’s heart hence why he liked watching his boyfriend listening to it so much.

‘Sorry about our plans.’

‘It’s fine. I can fuck you whenever I want.’

Max laughed and huddled himself tighter into Daniel, ‘True. Christian or Alex haven’t caught us yet…’

He heard Daniel laugh slightly in his ear and the pair closed their eyes warmed by each other’s embrace. They stayed in that position for the rest of the day, both drifting in and out of sleep and only moving apart for the doctor's check-ups. They wanted to keep him in overnight just as a precaution and the pair felt saddened at having to spend the night apart. Daniel didn't mind as much as Max did, as long as the latter was healthy and safe, he would happily spend a 100 nights away if he meant he could keep Max in his arms for the rest of eternity.


	2. Holiday or Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knew a trip to LA could cause so much drama and jealousy. Pierre and Daniel definitely didn't!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the feedback on the previous chapter!   
> Hope you enjoy this one.  
> Definitely more fun to write than my essay!

He didn’t mind Daniel going on Holiday with Charles. No. The pair had done it before, and it _only_ annoyed Max a little bit. He didn’t mind the constant Instagram stories or photos back then. I mean he and Daniel weren’t together so what right did he have to get jealous back then? None! Except this time, Daniel was his boyfriend and he did very much mind that he seemed to be having a great time without him. He had no idea why though. It wasn’t like the pair were going to hook up, Daniel had Max and Charles had Pierre. There was no way they would betray their other halves…hopefully.

It had only been two days since his boyfriend had left and Max was already bored. He hadn’t left the apartment, too used to doing everything in a couple and not solo anymore. It felt strange going to the shops by himself. He felt even more seen because he was by himself like people were judging him for being alone. Christ! Had he changed that much since being in a relationship! Before the Dutchman loved doing stuff by himself, hated hanging out with people all the time. What had Daniel done to him? Speaking of his boyfriend...

Charles post yet another video of him making Daniel laugh till he was in borderline hysterics. He replayed the video at least 10 times trying to figure out what was so funny about it then concluded it must have been one of those in the moment things. The Dutchman locked his phone annoyed and looked at the TV, which had turned off automatically after being on for so many hours. An idea popped into his head and the Red Bull driver smirked to himself. He clicked on his contacts.

‘Pierre. Fancy hanging out?’

* * *

It was lucky for Max that the Frenchman had been in Monaco, no doubt living at Charles' residence, and arrived in the afternoon. He dragged his fellow friend through his door and into his living room, just about closing the front door as he did so. When he turned around his saw Pierre look at him with suspicious eyes, but he ignored them and embraced him, squeezing him tightly. The Alpha Tauri driver gentle placed his hands on his back and laughed quietly, clearly taken back by the hug.

‘So what do you want to do today?’ Max asked as he sat himself down on the sofa, ‘Lunch? Hike? Beach? Dinner?’

‘Are you only hanging out with me to make Daniel jealous?’ Pierre asked with his arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

Max laughed sheepishly and he knew that he was blushing slightly. He generally did miss hanging out with Pierre, truthfully and he was having a great time but Charles was irritating him ever so slightly.

‘And Charles?’ Max replied hoping to make the situation better.

Pierre sighed but didn’t look angry.

‘I do also want to hang out with you as well. It’s been ages since it was just the two of us. Please?’

He tried to do his puppy eyes that worked ever so well on Daniel and knowing Charles, he would no doubt have puppy eyes of his own. He also added in a little pout and looked at Pierre. Rolling his eyes, the Frenchman smiled, ‘Charles did say he was too busy to talk to me earlier…’

The Dutchman grinned and quickly drew out his phone to take a quick selfie of both of them, making sure to stand extra close to Pierre as he did so.

* * *

Charles and Daniel had been in LA for four days and were quite enjoying their time. The Ferrari driver flopped onto his hotel bed taking a deep tired sigh as he did so. It had been a long and busy day trekking around doing some sightseeing, not that he minded much as it was a great opportunity to top up his tan but he definitely preferred relaxing holidays at the beach.

He grabbed his phone and started scrolling through Instagram, making sure all the videos and photos he had uploaded were of good quality and emphasised his good features. He refreshed the page when he saw the photos that Max had uploaded of himself … and Pierre…doing fun activities. Pierre never mentioned having any plans with the Dutchman. He swiped through the photos and saw how they went out to lunch then took an 'impromptu' hike around Monaco, taking a selfie at the top, both smiling and slightly sweaty.

He zoomed in on the photo, trying to see what Pierre was wearing and frowned slightly. No matter what that man was a model and looked good in any activity. Biting his lip slightly, Charles went clicked off the app and went to his contacts page. Maybe he should give his boyfriend a call, after all, he did brush him off a few times since he went away.

'Hi, I was just wondering how you were.' He asked looking up at the ceiling once the call connected. He was mindful of the time difference so if he played his cards right then maybe this could lead to some phone sex.

'Oh, I'm a little busy hanging out with Max at the moment. I'll call you back tomorrow.'

The call disconnected and Charles looked at his phone in shock.

‘C’est quoi ce bordel!’ He exclaimed out loud.

Pierre was too busy for him? Too busy with Max that he couldn’t even speak to his own boyfriend for a minute. Leaping up off the bed, he left his hotel room and banged on the door adjacent to his. A plan was forming in his mind. Daniel opened it, hotel robe around him and still slightly wet from the shower he must have just taken.

‘Yes.’

‘I was just thinking, I need to thank you for agreeing to come with me. Let me treat you to dinner.’

‘Charles, you don’t have to.’

‘They have that nice steak house down the road, with some ribs.’

‘Well…but you don’t have to pay. Really.’

‘Don’t worry about it. My treat honestly.’

The Australian grinned at him and thanked him before shutting his door. Charles smirked to himself. Nothing would rifle Max up more than seeing another man treat his boyfriend to his favourite dish. He returned to his bedroom and rifled through his own clothes, trying to pick out a standout outfit, one that would grab both Pierre and Max's attention. Oh, how he wished, he had bought some of his boyfriends' clothes with him but it seemed that the Frenchman had taken back all the stolen t-shirts and hoodies just before the Monégasque had left for the airport. His own clothes would have to do.

* * *

Charles grinned at Daniel throughout the evening which confused and also concerned the McLaren driver. He had never seen Charles this…happy? Mysterious? Strange? He didn’t comment upon it as he didn’t want to ruin the chill and relaxed vibes that had settled over dinner and the previous few days.

‘Man, I do love a good set of ribs.’ Daniel exclaimed as they were waiting for their mains.

‘Can’t get them as good in Monaco, can you?’ Charles asked back despite knowing the answer. Daniel always endorsed American ribs.

'Nope.' The Australian agreed smiling, 'Wonder if Max has run out of food yet. I really hope he's not gone back to drinking red bull and energy bars again.'

Charles rolled his eyes at the comment. Judging from the photos, Max and Pierre had eaten out every meal since they been together. The only redeeming factor about the betrayal from Pierre’s side was that they hadn’t eaten at the Ferrari drivers favourite restaurant yet.

'I'm sure he's fine. Have you not seen Instagram?'

‘Phone’s playing up. Can’t open any of my apps except text and call.’

Well, at least that explained why Daniel seemed very calm about his boyfriend huddling up to Charles's every minute of every day. He had no idea what had been happening.

‘How’s Pierre doing?’

‘Oh, he’s fine.’

If there was any bitterness in his tone, Daniel didn’t comment upon it.

‘Hope our other halves aren’t missing us too much.’

‘Can’t be missing us that much.’ Charles replied snarkily.

‘Huh?’

Charles rolled his eyes and grabbed his phone, opening to all the photos of Max and Pierre over the last few days.

‘It’s nice that they’re hanging out.’ Daniel replied smiling at the phone, ‘I was worried Max would stay in the apartment the whole time.’

Charles stared at his friend in shock. How could he actually be this calm about it? He was very close to scrolling back and showing Daniel the specific photo of Pierre wearing his black turtle neck, one of the Monégasque’s favourite pieces of clothing while Max was huddled in his side to make the Australian see sense. The Red Bull driver was lucky there was an enormous sea and a few countries between them currently. He wouldn't hesitate to knock on Max's door to pull Pierre away from him.

Don't get Charles wrong, he didn't mind that Pierre was hanging out with Max. Like, Daniel, he was glad his boyfriend wasn't spending the entirety of his time alone. Also, he and Max did grow pretty close after his… ordeal last year so…it was just how physically close the Dutchman was to his boyfriend.

But two can play at that game. 

The waiter arrived and placed down their main. Daniel rubbed his hands together excitedly. Charles grabbed his phone and asked the former to pose. Taking a photo of both their mains, Charles quickly uploaded it with the caption ‘treating him to his favourite dish- one me of course.’

* * *

‘What’s your favourite food?’

‘What?’

‘Favourite dish. I’ll cook it.’

‘Is this because of the ribs…’

‘Pierre!’

‘I like tiramisu.’

‘Let’s go get the ingredients then…’

Max opened his front door pulling the Frenchman with him. If he knew hanging out would involve outdoing Charles and Daniel’s trip away, Pierre would never have bothered coming round. At least he was getting a tiramisu out of it, even if it was with questionable intent.

‘I’m also going to video you eating it.’

‘Oh la la, Max…’

‘You deserve homemade tiramisu.’

While Pierre agreed he did deserve the occasional homemade tiramisu, he knew that this would only annoy Charles further. He doubted that his boyfriend was in a good mood currently seeing as he hung up abruptly when he lasted called, just so he could get a taste of his own medicine that is. Treating Pierre was Charles's favourite thing and now Max was going to do it instead just like Charles did to Daniel.

Yep. The Dutchman and boyfriend were definitely a lot similar than they thought.

* * *

Max made Pierre tiramisu. Tiramisu. His boyfriends favourite dish. Not only did Max have the audacity to make it, he posted a video, _a video_ of Pierre saying how much he loved it while laughing cream all over his lips. Cream that Charles should be seductively licking off… not that he would want Max to do that otherwise he would be on the first flight back to… injure the Dutchman… lightly.

‘Je ne paux pas y croire. Quelle audace!’

Evidently, the Australian had gotten used to him exclaiming random phrases in French as he didn't move a muscle. The Ferrari driver clicked on the video again, turning the full onto full. He tried to ignore the jealous ache that ran through his heart as the Alpha Tauri driver laughed and congratulated Max on making an 'incroyable' tiramisu. He scoffed, it probably wasn't even that good. He was probably just saying it for the camera. Charles made Pierre tiramisu…well he went to Pierre’s favourite dessert shop and brought it from him multiple times… but his boyfriend always kissed him and told him how much he appreciated and loved it.

'Let's go stargazing tonight!' Charles exclaimed looking over at Daniel who was still watching TV and chilling on his bed.

‘What? In LA?’

‘We could find a cliff, or something like in Monaco.’

‘Charles please tell me this isn’t because of the tiramisu…’

'I want to go stargazing.'

‘Charles…’

‘So you’re happy _your boyfriend_ is making other people’s boyfriend tiramisu?’

‘What? I mean I don’t mind. I like it but it’s not my favourite dessert.

‘So you’re not jealous that _your_ boyfriend who’s cooking speciality is eggs made another man _his_ favourite dessert. He went through the effort of buying the ingredients, looking up a recipe…’

‘Jeepers, you’ve made your point. If you shut up, I’ll go.’

It was hard to tell if he had made Daniel jealous or not but either way, he was going star gazing and boy, would he be getting some good photos to post.

Charles found a nice isolated spot in the suburbs of LA. The stars were only slightly visible but were still glowing enough to be seen in the photos. The Ferrari driver unravelled the rug he brought and watched as Daniel lay down and sprawled out on it. Not being one to miss an opportunity, he snapped a quick photo of the Australian before nudging his arm quickly and laying down at a reasonable distance apart (for now).

‘This is actually quite nice. Would be nice to do this back in Monaco.’

The 'with Max' was silent but Charles knew it was there. Maybe this whole hanging with Pierre thing was silently getting to him. He felt a bit cruel now as he was the reason Max was doing outlandish stuff with the Alpha Tauri driver. He wondered if Pierre was feeling the same if he was annoyed that Charles was spending so much time and effort with Daniel. Maybe he should make more of an effort treasuring Pierre even more than he deserved.

He took a quick selfie of the two of them, leaning in closer to the McLaren driver before posting it, the photo from earlier and a few of the sky. He could see Daniel shake his head out from the corner of his eye. Charles grinned in response. Daniel just shook his head and continued looking up at the stars, trying not to think about how Max would retaliate. It was scary how similar Max and Charles were to him.

* * *

‘Let’s go to the harbour and go on my jet ski.’

‘Max…’

'You seriously not annoyed he went stargazing with Daniel. One of the most romantic things to do. Look at the pictures Pierre. Look how close Charles is to Daniel, arm wrapped around his back…'

‘You already got him back good with the tiramisu.’

‘But you on _my_ jet ski. Surely, that would warrant him calling you.’

Pierre knew he should say no and that it would only end in tears but he was still slightly annoyed that Charles hadn’t called him since he hung up and that he was only getting a handful of texts again telling him how great LA was.

'One photo. No video. Otherwise, he would come back here and make sure you couldn't race for the rest of the season.'

'Done. Plus, you know you're going to have a great time anyway!'

At least Max was right about that. Riding the jet ski had been great fun, made even more enjoyable with the weather. Of course, the best bit was pushing Max into the sea almost fully clothed causing the Dutchman to sulk for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. This time it was Pierre who posted something a video causing his own boyfriend to sulk over 6000 miles away.

* * *

It continued over the next few days. Whenever Max posted something with him and Pierre, Charles would post something with him and Daniel in. Neither one was giving up and the fans were loving the constant photos of the men. Over the 6 days, over 20 photos had been posted by both drivers. No doubt both of their team principles would want a word next time they spoke to their drivers.

Charles was smirking to himself, his latest picture of him and Daniel on the beach, the latter wearing one of Max's t-shirts dripping wet from where the Monégasque had thrown water over him. He scrolled through the comments, reading people awwing over how close the two were when he refreshed his feed and his eyes widened at the first photo posted. He jumped off his bed and knocked loudly on Daniel’s hotel room for the second time that week. Before the Australian could even speak as he opened the door, Charles spoke. 

‘He’s flown to Bologna’

‘What?’ Daniel replied exhaustion taking over. It had been a full-on day with Charles adamant they do as much stuff as possible. He just wanted to sleep.

'Max. He's in my house, Daniel. He's flown to my house in Bologna to hang out with Pierre.'

‘Ok…’

‘My house Daniel.’

‘Technically it’s Pierre’s house.’

‘My stuff is there.’

Daniel couldn’t see what the problem was if he was honest. He didn’t have an issue with his boyfriend flying out to see his friends. He rather encouraged if truth be told. It meant that Max wasn’t spending long periods of time on his own. However, given the circumstances, there was a slight unease in his stomach.

'It's not like he's going to burn your stuff, Charles.'

The Monégasque looked up from his phone wide-eyed and Daniel sighed again.

‘He might do. He’s jealous and being petty.’

‘He might be being petty but I don’t think he’s jealous. He knows I’ll never go near you.’

‘Thanks…’

Daniel grinned back at him as he shut the door and collapsed onto his bed. He then reached down to the bedside table and grabbed his phone sighing as he did so. He needed sleep and this had gone on long enough and clearly, Pierre either wasn't bothered about it, aware it was happening or not capable of stopping Max from angering Charles any further. He clicked on Max's icon and wasn’t sure whether to be surprised or not that it took quite a few rings before the call connected.

‘Hello.’

‘What are you doing?’

'I'm sorry? Is that any way to speak to your boyfriend who you haven't called in days?'

Max’s tone was enough to indicate he was annoyed. He needed to play this calmly and carefully then. He definitely wouldn’t put it past Max to fly out to LA, no doubt with Pierre, and fight Charles one on one.

‘Why you in Bologna?’

‘Hanging out with Pierre. Is that an issue?’

‘You were hanging out with Pierre in Monaco. Why Bologna too?’

Max went quiet for a second before answering, ‘Don’t you have some rock-climbing session to get back to?’

So Max was jealous and was trying to make Charles even more jealous than he was. Well, he assumed it was Charles, Daniel was unsure whether he should be worried over the fact that he wasn't that jealous about the amount of time Max had spent with Pierre. He was actually quite smug, Max evidently loved him a lot to go into this much effort to piss Charles off so he wouldn’t go near him.

‘Does Pierre know you’re doing this?’

‘I do actually want to spend time with Pierre. I haven’t spent this much time with him…ever. Plus Charles told him he was to busy to call him so…You’re not jealous are you?’

‘No.’ He replied instantly and calmly. Whether that was the right answer or not he didn’t know. The one thing he could guarantee was that he would know tomorrow when he saw the new collection of pictures on Max’s feed.

* * *

Saying no to whether he was jealous or not was the wrong answer, if Charles shoving his phone into his face this early in the morning was anything to go by.

‘He’s in my bed Daniel. My side of the bed.’

He grabbed the phone and looked at the photo Max had posted. Both of their boyfriends were lying on the bed, a bowl of popcorn sat in between them, and both were smiling happily at the camera. The caption read 'perfect place for a film'. The Australian spotted the DVD case, _The School of Rock-_ the film Daniel wanted to watch with him _._

This was getting ridiculous.

The McLaren driver looked up at Charles who was still looked irritated about the whole situation and clearly wanted Daniel to do something about it. There was seriously no stopping Max Verstappen when wanted to achieve something.

* * *

‘Pour l’amour de Dieu’ Pierre muttered as Max took another photo of them watching the film. This time, he had carefully placed the bowl on the floor and huddled into Pierre, blanket over both of them.

‘What now?’

‘Max if you’re not careful Charles will come back here and murder you. You’re already lying on his side of the bed, got his favourite blanket…’

‘Is that why it smells?’

‘Max!’

‘Fine. I’ve got enough photos from this evening anyway. It’s not my fault our boyfriends have forgotten about us.’

‘I don’t think they’ve forgotten about us.’

‘Maybe not yours but Daniel only called _me_ once and he wasn’t even jealous that I was hanging out with you 24/7. At least you know Charles is getting annoyed about it all.’

Pierre looked over at Max, who was busy staring at the duvet cover. He wrapped his arm around the Dutchman and pulled him into a hug.

‘Daniel loves you a lot. He hasn’t forgotten about you or will forget about you. Daniel only agreed to go because Charles knows how much I hate LA and they’ve been travelling before. He saw it as a nice break away.’

‘Yeah a break away from me…’

The shakiness in his friend’s voice was enough of a give away to know Max was close to tears. He may be doing mentally better, but the insecurities were still there. Pierre shuffled closer and wrapped his arm around the Dutchman’s shoulders. Max leant in softly and a small sob escaped from his mouth.

‘He probably wanted to give you a break from everything too. He probably didn’t want you getting overwhelmed like you did last year with him constantly there.’

‘It wasn’t that that was the issue…’

‘I know but still. Nothing about this holiday was meant to be this malicious or cause this much jealousy ok? You and Charles love being dramatic and blowing everything out of proportion.’

‘If I’m so much like Charles- which I’m not- then there’s no stopping Daniel from taking a liking to him.’

Pierre found it hard to tell whether Max was sulking or genuinely upset over everything. He decided to choose that latter, that way he could approach it calmly and gently manner.

'Well, there's me for starters. I would hope Charles wouldn't ditch me for the first man he sees.'

‘Would be an idiot if he did…then again…’

'Yeah ok, Max.' Pierre replied laughing slightly and appreciating the sentiment, 'Daniel really loves you like _really_ loves you even before everything from last year happened. He would not make that much commitment to anyone else but you yeah?’

‘He just seems to have _so_ much more fun with everyone else except me. All we do is chill on the sofa, eat, have sex then sleep.’

‘That’s what love is Max. Me and Charles are hardly out there… I don’t know… climbing Mount Everest or something. Daniel is at his most relaxed when he’s with you and no one else will ever be you. Not to him.’

Max nodded tears slightly wetting Pierre’s t-shirt, ‘I don’t want him to get bored and leave me.’

‘He wouldn’t. He would never leave you.’

The Frenchman dreaded to think about how many abandonment issues Max had, and he knew how much of a struggle it was to open up to all of his friends last year. From what he had seen though, Daniel was in a similar position to him, just letting the chaos evolve until it was too much. Maybe it had reached that point now? Everyone did seem to forget how sensitive the Dutchman could get.

He waited till Max was asleep next to him. He knew Charles would kick and scream that Max was sleeping on his side of the bed but he would get over it… or burn the bed- one of the two. No doubt he would also use it as an excuse to redecorate as well. The Ferrari driver was going through a phase where he wanted to combine both their tastes in every room. He claimed it announced that they were a couple or something ridiculous. All Pierre wanted and would like is some flowers as a surprise gift occasionally.

He quietly took a photo, saying a silent thanks that the light was decent enough, so he didn’t need the flash. He attached the photo to the message. The Frenchman did feel bad for sending it because Daniel had every right to go on holiday without Max but evidently this petty war between him and Charles had gotten out of hand plus the Red Bull driver did say the Australian had been very blasé about calling him so….

He took a deep breath and sent the photo. It wasn’t obvious that Max had been crying but to someone like Daniel, who spent all his time with Max, he would hope he would notice the small details like that. He clicked sent and the photo went through with the message _‘I think someone is missing their man. Dw I’m with him if you can’t call tomorrow.’_

He didn’t intend for the last sentence to sound savage and to have a go at the McLaren driver but if it came across that way he didn’t care. He also didn’t care if Daniel showed Charles that photo, no doubt causing his boyfriend to go into an even bigger meltdown. Maybe he would then learn his lesson.

* * *

‘I’m changing our light so they go to Bologna.’

‘Why?’

‘So I can pick up Max.’

‘Can’t he make his own way back to Monaco? He managed to get to my house fine.’

‘You get to see Pierre then.’

‘I would have seen Pierre at Monaco if Max didn’t drag him back to Italy…

‘Max is staying at Pierre’s until we get back.’ Daniel replied typing away at his laptop. Although he wasn’t going to use it in LA, it had been nice to have for the flights.

‘So Pierre gave him a guest room. How nice. Wonder if he got the good one or not.’

‘He got the one with that duvet cover.’

He slid his phone over to Charles and saw from the corner of his eye the Monégasque’s turn white then glare at the photo.

‘What now?’

‘That’s _my_ bed. He’s sleeping in my bed in my sheets and duvet. He’s sleeping with Pierre!’

‘I mean he’s literally sleeping so…’

‘Move those flights. I need to get to Pierre as soon as possible.’

* * *

The final day was spent mostly packing with Daniel filled with anxiety and guilt over Max but the Australian had called him and text him multiple times throughout the day right up until the flight took off. He constantly reminded his boyfriend how much he loved him and how he couldn’t wait till he arrived back. He did notice Charles rolling his eyes occasionally but

The drive from the airport hadn’t been that long and by the time the Australian pulled into the Frenchman’s drive, the Monégasque had jumped out and was pulling their luggage from the boot of the car. Daniel picked up his suitcase and dragged it towards the front door. He knocked the on the door loudly, almost scaring Charles. He knew that the Ferrari driver most likely had a key, but he couldn’t be asked to wait around for him to find it. A few seconds later, he heard the door unlocking and a confused looking Pierre greeted him at the door.

‘Daniel…’ Pierre started to say confusion printed all over his face but was interrupted by Max showing himself at the door. He had forgotten to update them of the flight changes.

Wanting to make this quick so no more childish games could occur, in one quick motion, Daniel grabbed Max by the shoulder pulling him out towards the door while pushing Charles into the house, only for him to stumble into his boyfriend, who gracefully caught him.

‘What…’ Max started to asked confused but was interrupted by the Australian.

‘Thanks for hanging out with Max Pierre. I appreciate it.’

‘Thank you for bringing Charles home. Saves me a trip back to Monaco.’

The pair smiled at each other while both their boyfriends looked on confused. Evidently, the Monégasque and the Dutchman were missing something. Pierre handed Daniel Max’s things which he happily accepted then threw at his boyfriend.

‘Come on Maxy, we have a flight to catch.’

‘I want to hang with Pierre.’ He exclaimed with a pout. Just because his boyfriend had non-stop text and called him today did not make up for the lack of communication over the past few days. 

Charles scoffed from the doorway causing the Dutchman to turn and look at him with a glare, ‘Problem Charles?’

‘No. Just haven’t you seen enough of _my boyfriend_ over the last couple of days.’

‘We’ve had _such_ a good time I don’t want it to end.’

'Well, I've had _such_ a good time with Daniel that I’m upset it has to end.’

‘Well me and Pierre were having sleepovers…in _your_ room.’

‘Oh for the love of God.’ Daniel muttered faintly next to Max leaning against the door.

He watched as Charles swallowed and produced a fake smile at Max. Honestly, after everything that went on you would think they would be best friend by now.

‘Me and Daniel didn’t need sleepovers, we were too busy looking at the stars. It was a really…’

‘Charles tais-toi et rentre à l’intérieur.’ Pierre exclaimed annoyed at his boyfriend.

The Monégasque turned around, frowned but decided to retreat back into his house, still glaring at Max.

‘Max was doing it too.’ The Ferrari driver pouted at his boyfriend who rolled his eyes again for the hundredth time that evening.

Pierre turned to look away from his boyfriend and said his goodbyes to Max and Daniel. He then waved the other couple off before shutting the door and turning to Charles with an eyebrow raised. The Ferrari driver looked down at the floor and crossed his arms. He knew what his boyfriend was getting at.

‘Max started it, he kept posting those photo’s of the both of you…’

Daniel realised what a bad idea being trapped in a car with an irritated Max actually was. His boyfriend had his arms crossed and was facing the windshield complaining of course.

‘Charles started it. All those videos of you and him…’

Pierre climbed the stairs with Charles following him right on his tail.

‘…You were wearing my favourite jumper of yours while hanging out with him! Are you even listening to me?’

The Dutchman was now pressing the buttons on the dashboard with more force than needed trying to turn on the heating.

‘You were wearing _my_ t-shirt while hugging him…how could you?’

Opening the bathroom door and grabbing his toothbrush, Pierre noticed that Charles was standing right by the sink.

‘You never go jet skiing with me!’

Max was now using his hands to further emphasise the betrayals that Daniel had committed during his time away.

‘Every time I suggest we go for ribs you always say you want pizza!’

Pierre leaned back against the front door and took a deep breath. He never knew the Ferrari driver could get this wound up over some pictures… Daniel turned up the radio slightly and Max kept ranting about how annoyed he was that Charles kept uploading stuff with the both of them. Sighing he kept his eyes on the road, it would definitely be a long flight.

‘And another thing…’ The pair said in unison despite being miles apart with both their boyfriends rolling their eyes and sighing.

Yes, it was true. Max and Charles were more similar than they would like to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment/Criticise if you want  
> Hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comment/Criticism welcome


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